Hanoi (VNA) – The 7th plenum of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPV CC) closed in Hanoi on July 17 after nine working days.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh chaired and delivered speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.

The CPV CC heard reports and discussed plans on strengthening the Party’s leadership toward youth and building a contingent of intellectuals during industrialisation, modernisation and the international economic integration process.

Issues related to agriculture development, farmers and rural areas, the socio-economic situation in the first six months of 2008, the tasks for the remaining months of the year and others were also included in the event’s agenda.

The CPV CC said marked breakthroughs have been seen in the youth-related work after more than 20 years of renewal and national development, particularly 15 years after Vietnam implemented a resolution on the issue released at the fourth plenum of the seventh CPV CC.

The CPV CC affirmed that the Party and the State always consider young people a key force in national defence and construction, focusing on them in the human resource development strategy.

The development of youth is both an objective and a driving force in ensuring the stability and sustainable development of the country and it is also the responsibility of the whole political system under the leadership of the Party.

The CPV CC decided to issue the resolution on “strengthening the Party’s leadership towards youth-related work during the acceleration of national industrialisation and modernisation”.

The CPV CC said in more than 20 years of renewal, a fast development in both quality and quantity has been seen in the country’s intellectual circle, making contributions to national defence and construction.

The intellectual circle has contributed to lifting the country out of socio-economic crisis and its less-developed status. It has also made contributions to drawing up the Party and the State’s polices, training human resources and increasing intellectual standards.

Nowadays, knowledge is playing a decisive role for the country’s development and Vietnamese intellectuals are facing big opportunities and high challenges.

More efforts should be made to improve the country’s intellectual circle so that by 2020, it is good in quality, numerous in line-up and properly structured and on a par with its regional and international counterparts.

The CPV CC also decided to issue a resolution on “building the intellectual circle during the acceleration of national industrialisation and modernisation”.

Following more than 20 years of renewal, marked progress has been seen in agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

Agriculture has stably developed with higher yield, quality and efficiency, and food security has been ensured. Agro-forestry and aquatic product exports have increased, and science and technology have been improved.

The CPV CC said that in future years, the country should develop an agriculture sector that is modernised and stable with mass production that has a high yield, quality and efficiency and a sharp competitive edge, ensuring national food safety in the immediate future as well as the long-term.

It called for the country to build new rural areas with modern socio-economic structure, appropriate economic structure and production establishments, combining agriculture development with rapid development of industry, services and urban areas while ensuring stability of rural society and preserving the national cultural character.

The Central Committee also issued a resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

The leading committee of the Party Organisation of the Government reported on the socio-economic development in the first half of this year and main solutions for the second half.

The Party Central Committee said in the first half of this year, particularly the second quarter, authorities at all levels, sectors and people made great efforts and obtained initial achievements in restoring macro economic stability, maintaining social security and a proper economic development growth rate.

However, the committee said, the achievements remain unstable, with inflation and trade deficit still standing at high level, businesses facing many difficulties in production and trade, economic growth rate lowering and lives of majority of the people being affected.

The Central Committee assigned the Politburo to make a conclusion, defining policies and measures to develop the achieved results, overcome weaknesses and shortcomings, and implement socio-economic tasks for the second half of this year.

The Central Committee also took disciplinary action against Vo Thanh Binh, Party Central Committee member, Ca Mau Province Party Committee Secretary and Provincial People’s Council Chairman, by imposing a formal party warning for his serious faults in personnel and leadership.

It also requested the State agency punish Binh in the same manner.

The Central Committee called on the whole Party, the people and army to develop achievements in the first months of this year and overcome shortcomings and weaknesses.

It also called on Vietnamese to promote unity and strive to gain successes in implementation of the Resolution of the 10 th Party Congress and resolutions of Party Central Committee, as well as new achievements in the renewal process, national industrialisation and modernisation and in national construction and defence.